Stendal is a particularly large district located in Saxony-Anhalt, consisting of six independent municipalities and three collective municipalities. Its economy is characterised largely by agriculture and SMEs, mainly in the skilled craft and trades sector, which represent a broad product portfolio. However, the region faces a particularly precarious future – a trend that Europe is also tasked with combatting. Within the EU, the district has maintained a partnership with the Mažeikiai district municipality in Lithuania since 1994.